Southern Chen Dynasty, Shengjing.
The city of Shengjing has been quite unsettled lately. Even the most arrogant playboys are now confined to their homes and not allowed to leave—the reason being that the Crown Prince and the Prince of Nan'an have been locked in a fierce and chaotic struggle.
Meanwhile, Emperor Chen had already woken up, but unfortunately suffered a stroke and was now bedridden, watching his most beloved son and his trusted nephew fight for the position.
The second prince also intervened from time to time, favoring the Prince of Nan'an. Clearly, he still harbored resentment over the Crown Prince sending Li Shuangyan to Empress Chen's palace.
He Shuye and Qin Ye—these two, as the most trusted people of Emperor Chen, became the focus of the struggle between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Nan'an, because they were more like the Emperor Chen's "representatives" to the outside world. Especially Qin Ye, many ministers in the court were his people. If one could gain Qin Ye's support, the chances of success would be at least 30% higher.
Zhao Ming has been extremely busy lately, until that old Mr. Ye—his most trusted and usually most low-key advisor—approached him.
Zhao Ming quickly invited the man into the study. The two sat facing each other. After taking a sip of tea, Mr. Ye looked at Zhao Ming and asked bluntly, "Does Your Highness know where the greatest threat lies now?"
Zhao Ming paused for a moment, and after thinking for a long time, he said, "Qin Ye is not a threat. After all, he is a eunuch and cannot sit in that position. The Crown Prince is also gradually losing ground... I'm afraid it's the Second Prince. He has always been on my side, and he might stab me in the back one day. Don't worry, I have already taken precautions."
Mr. Ye stared at him intently, concealing the disappointment in his eyes, then shook his head and said, "No."
Zhao Ming was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. Then he cupped his hands to Mr. Ye and said, "Please enlighten me, Mr. Ye."
Old Master Ye stroked his beard, pointed to the northwest, and said with a deep gaze, "It's the 100,000-strong merchant army."
Zhao Ming still couldn't understand and asked with some confusion, "But they have always been loyal to the Southern Chen... Now only Shang Yunlan and his sister are left. His sister is another matter, but as for Shang Yunlan, he is clearly a treacherous and sycophantic minister, a scoundrel at heart. He has no ability to lead troops."
Old Master Ye sighed silently in his heart, but asked gently, "May I ask Your Highness, where is Shang Yunlan now? And where is Princess Heyang now?"
Zhao Ming paused for a moment, then said, "Shang Yunlan was assassinated earlier and is still in Hangzhou recuperating; Princess Heyang was previously sent by His Majesty to the Northwest to search for immortals..."
As he said this, his voice unconsciously lowered, then he suddenly realized something and raised his voice: "The Imperial Preceptor has already entered the capital, but Princess Heyang has been in the Northwest all along—"
Mr. Ye looked at Zhao Ming with satisfaction. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Zhao Ming mutter to himself, "How strange. What is she doing in the Northwest? I have never seen a noble lady willing to stay in the Northwest for so long."
Mr. Ye: "..."
He took a deep breath and reminded her, "Does Your Highness still remember when Princess Yang went to Shu Prefecture? We sent people to kill her, but not only did our men fail, they also disappeared without a trace. That speaks volumes."
Zhao Ming finally understood what Old Master Ye meant: "You mean, Princess Heyang went to lead the troops? That's absolutely impossible, she's just a woman..."
Old Master Ye barely managed to stop rubbing his slightly aching temples, and gave Zhao Ming a deep look: "Then Your Highness, please think again, have any major events occurred in the court during the spring and autumn seasons of previous years?"
He was already over seventy years old and could not stay by Zhao Ming's side to do everything for him forever. He could only slowly teach Zhao Ming how to think.
Zhao Ming wasn't entirely stupid; after a moment's thought, his pupils contracted: "...There is no war in the Northwest this year. Or rather, we are unaware of any war in the Northwest."
Mr. Ye breathed a sigh of relief—he wasn't completely stupid; he could be taught, he could be taught.
He nodded: "Exactly. With Southern Chen in chaos, how could foreign tribes not be eager to take advantage of our misfortune? But there's been no news from the Northwest, and we haven't seen any signs of foreign tribes. What does this mean? It means that the Princess of Heyang has indeed led troops. Does Your Highness remember a few days ago when you went to look for the Tiger Tally but couldn't find it? I reasonably suspect that the Tiger Tally is in the hands of the Princess of Heyang."
Zhao Ming frowned, clearly not understanding why Shang Shaoyan was doing this. Why was she leading troops into battle and concealing information? He grumbled, "Is she planning a rebellion?"
Mr. Ye didn't speak, but stared intently at Zhao Ming.
Zhao Ming's heart skipped a beat, then his eyes widened: "She...she really wants to rebel?"
Mr. Ye looked serious, clearly sharing the same speculation: "That's right, this is the most reasonable answer we can come up with at the moment."
Zhao Ming murmured, "But she is a woman..."
They clearly couldn't understand it and couldn't believe it.
Old Master Ye glanced at Zhao Ming and said, "Furthermore, Shang Yunlan is probably not in Hangzhou now. Your Highness might want to think carefully about how many of the people close to Princess Heyang are still in Shengjing today?"
Zhao Ming thought about it carefully, and then was horrified to find that there were none left.
Even Consort Zhao has already "died," and now it seems that she may have just faked her death!
Seeing that he finally understood, Old Master Ye sighed and said wearily, "I've been uneasy these past few days, feeling like I've overlooked something, and it was only this morning that I remembered it. Now that the die is cast, we can't interfere too much. Princess Heyang... what a clever scheme!"
Zhao Ming stood up abruptly, gritting his teeth, and said, "It's true what they say, a barking dog doesn't bite!"
After saying that, he looked at Mr. Ye reassuringly and said, "You don't need to worry. We still have 100,000 troops in southern Yunnan to resist. It's just that it will take some time to get control of the troops there."
Mr. Ye: "..."
How stupid.
He took a deep breath and sighed, "Then where do you think Consort Zhao is now?"
Zhao Ming: "..."
He sat down somewhat abruptly, then murmured, "But they are all women..."
Old Master Ye was also unusually flustered, but he was purely angered by Zhao Ming. He shouted with a hint of disappointment, "Your Highness! You should face this matter squarely now, instead of just complaining and doubting!"
Zhao Ming looked up at Mr. Ye with a blank expression, looking quite helpless: "Then, sir, what should I do now?"
Mr. Ye: "..."
He didn't say anything, just waved his hand, and then wearily took his leave and went back.
Such a master is truly hopeless... If it weren't for the Princess's kindness to him, he wouldn't have become Zhao Ming's advisor.
Mr. Ye also wanted to ask – what should he do now?
What he needs is a wise ruler, and what the world needs is a wise monarch.
He wasn't someone who coveted fame and fortune; he only wanted his family and relatives to live a peaceful life... But what about now?
He... should really think about his future path.
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